"Disgusting. Frumpy. Gross. Imperfect."

"Disgusting.  Frumpy.  Gross.  Imperfect."

"How would you describe your body in one word? Would you use any of the above adjectives? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. The responses above are real examples of Aussie women describe themselves."

"Lose weight, reduce wrinkles, fight cellulite; we’re constantly told to fight a battle to be someone other than who we are.”

Check out this clip: Body Image Movement Embrace by Taryn Brumfitt.  I have been guilty of this.  I am guilty of this.  I have cried to myself silently, hating what I see, especially as I get older.

I just thought it would be a good thing to share.

The Office

I work in talent acquisition.  Known previously, and to some still, as recruitment.  I have worked with some absolute shocking people over the years.  Thankfully I have also worked with some amazing superstars.

What I have noticed of late is that the shockers are quickly trying to infiltrate my life again.  The shockers fall into a two natural categories:

• Leadership/Management; those who have yelled and screamed their way through management, terrorising everyone in their path.  Generally just offensive human beings
• Colleagues;  I could write for paragraphs but you know the one I mean – THOSE colleagues

How on earth does anyone who has behaved appallingly get off contacting me via the many social media platforms we have these days, like a long lost buddy, asking for help into their next role?

Regardless of how I feel toward them I am professional and courteous in my reply.  This reply today is what I really want to say:  “Where do you get off asking me for help?  I didn’t respect you then and time has not helped my feelings on this matter.”

As if I am going to inflict those type of people on the company I work for now.

Go crawl back under the rock you came out from.

A Non Apology To My Friends With Children....

I read this today:  An Apology to my Childless Friends and I want to scream how sick I am of reading this stuff.  It seems to be never ending these days - childless women v women with children!  Enough - we are all female - we are all human - just because one chose to procreate doesn't mean one is better than the other. 

I find this "funny take on having kids" just down right condescending.  I don't have kids and yet I am not a child hater, I am not evil and I am not dumb.  Don't treat me like the 2 year old you are cleaning up after to try and explain why we don't talk much anymore. 

I understand it is hard to get baby sitters so I am happy to visit. I don't care your house is covered in kids crap, I just want to see you.  What I do care about is us still being friends; limping through the here and now (because apparently we can't be the friends we once were because I am childless and don't get your life, if this clip is anything to go by) and still being friends when the child starts to grow up.

I really do not know why I wrote this - I guess I am just over it.  And blogs like "An apology to my childless friends" just put a bee in my bonnet.

P.S. I was going to call this "Spitting the Dummy"... 

Shall We Dance...

Sooooooooo........ You hit, let's pluck a figure and say 42..  And you realise you have no "hobbies" in life.  And everyone needs a hobby...  Don't they?

So at the ripe old age of 42 I figure I want to do something.  Akin to ticking something off the bucket list.  And maybe, just maybe, I will start to lose the weight I have been carrying on about for, I don't know, the best part of 2 years.

So I hatch a plan - take up ballroom dancing.  Heck, I was pretty good at it in high school.  I used to front up to PE in winter to the gym (I lived in Launceston, it is cold there all year round, winter is particularly ferocious) and dance my little butt off.  The Fox Trot.  The Pride of Erin.  The Waltz. 

There is only one particular issue with my new found idea.  A partner to dance with.  My husband, bless him, has no interest in dancing.  Full stop.  Getting him to do a bridal waltz at our non traditional wedding was, challenging.  Not a hope he will follow me to a dancing school and sign up for an 8 week course that sees us gracefully sliding around a dance floor.

So this leaves me without a dance partner.  Do I front up, sans partner, and hope for the best?  I have warned him that without a partner I may turn up and be paired with a Ricky Martin look alike/mover and shaker (or similar - oh hell, just a good dancer) who may sweep me off my feet at any given time.  He laughed.  I laughed too.  My coordination is not the best.

So for now I shall keep thinking about it.. Who knows, eventually I may find a partner and become..  Coordinated.  I can see myself in a long flowing gown, gliding gracefully around a dance floor.

I'll keep you updated.

Educating on Melanoma...

Last week I wrote a blog and it got re-tweeted quite a few times around the world..  By people and to people, I am guessing, who do not understand the "Australianism reference to Kylie Mole".  So I thought I best point out to those of you not in Australia that I am not insane. 

I was using Kylie Mole as a reference because anyone 32+ (okay, maybe 35+) should get the reference - and I thought it would encourage people to click and read.  And it did.  It probably just left a few of you scratching your head to the reference. and why the title..

Any way - click through again (below) and read again with a greater understanding!  Update is he is okay - all clear.  Has some massive scars, a very big "hole" in his back which will take months (anywhere up to 6) to heal, spent 5 days dreadfully ill due to the antibiotics (used to fight infection) BUT is alive and has a good life ahead of him.  And that is all that matters.

So, if you are reading this - get your moles checked.  Please.

giftcards.com.au

I got a giftcard for Christmas.  A Coles Myer Giftcard for $60.  Probably purchased sometime in December.

 I went to use that Gift Card on the weekend and it was declined.  I just rang giftcards.com.au – a 3^rd party provider, so the cheery customer service rep told me over the phone, and was told the only way to fix it was to send in the proof of purchase.  Good luck with that one, five months after Christmas, me thinks..

I get there are a lot of dishonest people in the world and this company probably receives 100 calls like mine a day – 50 of them dishonest.  But surely there should be something in place that prevents this sort of thing happening?  How is it my fault that someone at a register forgot to upload any funds onto the card that was purchased?

I am cross.  It’s not the money.  It is the principal.  I pay for someone else’s mistake.  How much money do they make a year off this type of occurrence?  A lot I would suggest.



All your favourite stores with one place to order them all - but useless if funds aren't added to the card and it isn't activated!!! 

Lucky

I'm laying here on my bed in Shanghai.  Everyone I love is fast asleep back home (there's a 3 hour time difference) with the exception of Lily Cat, who's probably remaining vigil in the bedroom window looking out for the fox who roams the street after midnight looking for food and "screaming" or howling, what ever it is they do, keeping the neighborhood pets awake.

People who know me know China is not my favourite destination.  But this trip I've tried to look at the experience through different eyes.  It hit me today how fortunate I am to travel Asia for work, experiencing new cultures and doing what I love.  Recruitment.  This is what I wanted.  This is what I chose.  And I made it happen.  It wasn't luck.  It was hard work.

So I'm going to suck up being here and accept it for what it is.  A world of different experiences. A world so vastly different to mine.  A world I wouldn't necessarily want to live in every day.  But an exciting world none the less.